While ketchup on hotdogs, with fries or on burgers may seem quintessentially American, ketchup’s invention predates the modern U.S. by centuries. Ketchup has been a favorite human condiment for ages, so let’s look at its history.
Ketchup’s earliest days did not even involve tomatoes. Modern ketchup’s predecessor dates as far back as 300 B.C. in southern China. This early recipe created fermented pastes made from fish entrails, meat byproducts and soybeans and was called “ge-thcup” or “koe-cheup.”
As it was easily stored and preserved, it spread along trade routes. British traders embraced it in the early 1700s and began publishing all sorts of recipes. The 1700s brought ketchup varieties made of all sorts of ingredients, from mussels to celery to peaches. Mushroom ketchup was apparently a favorite of Jane Austen. These varieties are why modern ketchup bottles read “tomato ketchup.” This is not a redundancy; rather, this lingers from a time when ketchup could be made of nearly anything.
An old English ketchup recipe from the first cookbook published in the American colonies called for white wine vinegar, anchovies, horseradish and lemon peel, among other ingredients.
With the popularity of all kinds of ketchup, one of the only flavors not included was actually tomato. Despite tomatoes being eaten frequently by the Aztecs, upon British colonists arriving in North America, they dismissed tomatoes as inedible and even poisonous, a viewpoint that remained steadfast for over two hundred years among colonists outside of Louisiana. This thought was due to a distrust of tomatoes’ bright coloring and because some aristocrats died after eating them. However, this was due to the pewter plates used by wealthy Europeans that, upon mixing with the highly acidic tomato, leached lead from the plate and caused lead poisoning.
An American man named James Mease first tried out tomato-based ketchup in 1812. Tomatoes were still stigmatized, known as “love apples” because of their assumed function as an aphrodisiac. Mease’s recipe involved alcohol as well.
In 1876, a new company called Heinz introduced its own ketchup variation, made of tomatoes, vinegar, brown sugar, salt and spices. Recognizing potential distrust of tomatoes, this also pioneered selling goods within glass bottles to allow customers to see what they were purchasing.
Tomatoes really first became a staple in the American Civil War, as they grew quickly and were easily canned. After the war, canned tomatoes were more popular than any other canned vegetable. By 1897, Joseph Campbell used this canned tomato popularity to debut his condensed tomato soup.
In the following centuries, ketchup became a household staple. In 1969 Richard Nixon famously revealed his favorite breakfast was cottage cheese and ketchup. In 1999, NASA approved Heinz ketchup for use aboard the International Space Station. At some point Heinz even presented a recipe for a ketchup cake that has since become a Canadian favorite.
Today, ketchup is a cabinet staple around the world. According to a 2018 study, 87% of Canadians have a bottle of ketchup in their refrigerator and 62% call it “Canada’s condiment,” although the same study found Finland actually consumes the most ketchup annually. Similarly, 97% of U.S. households were found to stock the condiment.
Ketchup has certainly left its mark on human history, even centuries ago. From ages-old fish sauce Ketchup to its mushroom delicacy to the current ketchup cabinet staple, one thing is for sure: people love their ketchup.
Katie Millard is a junior studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. What are your thoughts? Tell Katie by tweeting her at @katie_millard11.
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